Thursday, December 31, 2009

Today I had an echo cardiogram and a chest x-ray and I must say these were the easiest and most pain free tests I've ever had! The chest x-ray took 5 mins and you didn't even have to lay down. Very easy. The echo was just a sonogram of the heart from 4 different directions. It took about 40 mins, but otherwise was very easy and pain free. EKG next week and then I am ready to start! Yeah!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

OK so the drug I am going to do the trial for is called Nertinib. Last week I went to my first appointment. I signed all of the paperwork, and then had a full exam by my oncologist. (Ladies, to include a pelvic exam, prepare yourself). Then I had a bunch of blood work. I also got my booklet of information, drug’s I can no longer take as well as food and beverages I cannot have – for example grapefruit juice, which I never drink, but now of course I crave. :0) The booklet contains two different diarrhea logs. Joy! Next up is a chest x-ray, EKG, and echocardio gram. Once all of these are approved ok then I can start on the drug. BTW, the drug company, not my insurance, is paying all of this. And all of it is done with privacy laws intact; to the drug people I am just a number. I’ve also signed paperwork to donate my tumor to science. To be honest I didn’t know they kept it. But they sure enough did, so now it’s been donated to scientist to test drugs on. I’m very excited to be helping in every way I can!

I’m Jenny…..where do I start? I am 36 years old, I’m married, no kids, living in Alexandria, Virginia. I’ve had Type 1 diabetes since I was 7 years old. When I was 34 years old I was diagnosed with HER 2 positive breast cancer. I found my own lump. My Mom is a two-time breast cancer survivor. She is HER 2 negative. My Dad died two months after my diagnosis of melanoma cancer, which had spread, to his liver. My dog, a 13-year-old cocker spaniel was diagnosed with cancer 3 months after Dad died; he then had surgery to remove his leg. He’s a three-legged survivor. My husband remains, hopefully forever, cancer free.After finding my lump and having a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, I had a port sewn into my left chest. I then started a solid year of chemo, as well as 3 months of radiation. On December 23rd 2008 I took my last bag of chemo, and then went out to the Willard with my husband to celebrate. One month later I had surgery to remove the port.

Now, one year later, I am healthier then I ever have been in my life. Both physically and mentally. I have an urgency to live each day, and try everything I’ve never tried. I no longer take time for granted, and feel extreme gratitude to be living another day. This month my oncologist approached me about participating in a drug trial, for those with HER2 positive cancer, those who have taken one solid year of Herceptyn. I am one of ten selected, and I’m excited to possibly help future cancer patients have a new drug, and to hopefully get one us all one step closer to a cure.

This log is for those of you searching the internet looking for help, advise, and wondering if maybe you should take the drug, or maybe you shouldn’t, or you maybe you were just diagnosed with cancer, or maybe your hair just started falling out, whatever your step, I’m hoping this log helps you…..feel free to write and ask me about any of the stuff I’ve already been thru, weather it be as a cancer patient, a daughter of a cancer patient, or the dog owner of a cancer dog. :0)